Melanie Kueber Watkins, Ph.D., P.E. Summary Civil engineer with over twenty years of experience in the infrastructure industry: • designed numerous water resources management structures and geometrics for highways and industrial developments, asset management, • prepared environmental surveys for wetland mitigation, • oversaw consultant contracts, • coordinated with the FHWA, municipalities, agencies, stakeholders and councils for project implementation, • materials science and chemistry experience includes testing and characterization of industrial materials for beneficial reuse, • mentoring experience includes on the job and research training for junior engineers and interns • computer experience includes: Microstation, GeoPak, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, water resources design software including Aquaveo 2D SRH SMS Riverine Pro, HECGeoRAS, HEC-RAS, Linux, OpenFOAM, and • instructed college students through professional engineers; subjects’ range: water resources management, soils engineering, materials, asset management, and pavement evaluation surface rating, senior design, international senior design in Panama. Education Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Michigan Technological University, May 2013 M.S. Project Management/Civil Engineering, Northwestern University, 2002 B.S. Civil Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 1998 Employment History & Professional Experience May 2018- present, Michigan Technological University, Research Assistant Professor Jan 2018 to May 2018, GEI Consultants, (on call, Marquette, MI) May 2017 to Jan 2018, Atlas Engineering (http://www.aegroupltd.com/) (part time telecommute – Chicago) 2015 to 2017, M3 Engineering Group (www.m3eg.com) (part time telecommute – St. Louis) 2015 to present, Adjunct Appointment: Graduate Faculty, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Michigan Tech 2015 American Journal Experts, Independent Contract Editor 2013 to 2015 Owner, MK Watkins Engineering, LLC; mkw-eng.com 2011 to 2015 Michigan Technological University, Center for Technology & Training/Facilities Management 2007 to 2011, Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Michigan Technological University 2004 to 2007, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (www.cbbel.com) 1999 to 2004, Illinois Department of Transportation (www.dot.state.il.us) Summer 1998, STS Consultants, Ltd. Professional Engineer, Illinois 62058394 (since 2005), Michigan 6201055058 (since 2008), Missouri 2019045797 Engineering Experience Michigan Technological University Senior Design Instructor Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021. Instructor for senior design capstone. Sponsored projects included: Proposed All-Season Route US41 to M-38 Connector, Baraga County Road Commission, MnDOT I-35W Stormwater Storage Facility, Brierley Associates, MDOT US-41 Reconstruction from East of Macinnes Dr to Isle Royal St, City of Houghton, MTU Facilities Management parking lot North of Lot 21 and South of Lot 21, MDOT reconstruction of US-2 from Powdermill Creek bridge to Old US-2 in Bessemer, MDOT US-41/M-28 R&R from the Front Street Roundabout west to Wright Street, gapping the Grove Street and Hospital Roundabout in the City of Marquette, Support of Excavation (SOE) & Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Design and Temporary Site Civil & Maintenance of Flow for Stormwater & [email protected] 906-231-3700 1 Sanitary Sewer Design for Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) in Washington, DC with Brierly and Associates, reconstruction of the I-69 mainline from I-96 to Airport Rd north of Lansing, MI in Clinton County with HNTB. HNTB Sponsored MDOT US-31/I-94 BL interchange and 2.9 miles of I-94 from west of East Britain Avenue to east of the I-196 interchange in Benton Township, Berrien County. Advised hydraulics and hydrology team using Michigan State LIDAR data and Aquaveo SMS 2D RiverPro to analyze water shed using ArcPro and size culverts using embedded HY-8. Completed channel stamping of Blue Creek for the project. Coordinated with industries on a regular basis to provide students with exposure to industry professionals and ensured their review of student projects. Coordinated with industries to secure rigorous projects for future sections of senior design. Reviewed student design, estimates, and construction schedules and design plans including water detention/retention, wetland mitigation, storm sewer, road alignment, MOT, traffic, retaining wall, culvert, and bridge plans. Water Resources Modeling Graduate Certificate. Worked with Michigan Tech faculty to lead the development of this certificate where students will gain in-depth modeling experience using real-world case studies in hydrologic, hydraulic, and 2D hydrodynamic systems. This certificate includes development of new course CEE 46/5610 Water Resources System Modeling & Design offered Spring 2021 where students will Solve complicated, open-ended real-world water resources problems in natural and built systems by developing and executing models using state of the practice technologies. Includes programming to manage large datasets and validation or calibration and optimization of models for design. Grant Writing Experience. As a Research Assistant Professor, worked on over 65 proposals assisting faculty and several as PI including multidisciplinary research and contributed to successfully funded research proposals and activities. Highway Hydraulic Engineering State of Practice: NCHRP Project 20-05 Synthesis Topic 50-02. The objective of this synthesis is to document significant changes that state DOTs have made to their hydraulic engineering policies and practices over the past decade. The study will highlighted the trends and factors driving these changes (PI). The study featured advanced 2D hydraulic modeling among other topics. Funding Agency: Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Program Director: Jo Allen Gause. Phone: 202-334-3826 [email protected] $45k (November 2018 – October 2019, published July 2020). Real-Time Monitoring and Modeling of Scour, with MTRI, Genex Systems LLC, Awarded FHWA: $49k. Reviewed bank elevation data acquired during the recent bathymetric and Lidar field data acquisition that occurred on August 17-18, 2020 that was further refined, points filtered, then merged with bathymetry to develop a continuous point cloud. Merging contiguous point cloud containing bank and bathymetry and refining terrain model generation; developing mesh and a 2D hydraulic model, to produce channel velocities for existing flood flow frequencies as available from FEMA to compare with OpenFOAM hydrodynamic model. Wastewater System Modeling for SARS-CoV-2 Detection, Awarded Michigan Tech: $24.5k. Watkins, D. W., Becker, J. G., Seagren, E. A., Watkins, M. K. Expand wastewater-based surveillance of the COVID- 19 virus in the Houghton/Hancock area and support pandemic response decision making at the University and community levels. Hydraulic modeling of the Houghton and Hancock wastewater collection systems will be performed to estimate dilution factors at each sampling location, and geographic information system (GIS) maps of the collection system network (Fig.1) will be developed for the geospatial display of results. Review infrastructure data and advise graduate student work on the wastewater collection system model. CE4620 Instructor, Fall 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020. Instructor for river and flood plain hydraulics. Developed course materials for instruction for this course that includes theory and analysis of open channel systems, including natural channels, designed channels, flow transitions, non-uniform flow, and unsteady flow. Also included HY-8 for culvert sizing and intensive use of HEC-RAS. FHWA Toolbox Calculator for channel lining design. SMS Aquaveo 2D Riverine Pro software use and design using LIDAR, sonar, and photogrammetry [email protected] 906-231-3700 2 dem; validation of software output data. The lab for this class is a computational lab, this includes: 2 Weeks - ArcGIS design project component using photogrammetry or LIDAR dem data, 2 Weeks - Aquaveo SMS Riverine Pro tutorials/assignments using LIDAR/sonar elevation data, 3 Weeks - Aquaveo SMS Riverine Pro design project including validation of software results. Design projects included MDOT sponsored M35 over the Carp River, Negaunee, MI – modeled 2x7’x10’ CMP culverts and bridge using Aquaveo SMS Riverine Pro. OpenFOAM CFD Modeling: C++, Essential, Applied, CFD Direct, Summer 2020. Synchronous Remote Learning Course.Creating a C++ program, compilation, scope, namespace, header files,boundary conditions: overview, common conditions, entrainment, useful outlets and inlets, time-varying. Introduction to turbulence: what it is, scales and mixing, Reynolds number, turbulent closure, k-epsilon model. Turbulence modelling essentials: industry-standard modelling, initialisation, boundary layers, wall functions, meshing strategy. SAT 2711 Linux Fundamentals, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States. Linux system installation and configuration in an enterprise environment. Topics include: Linux System Architecture, Linux Installation and Package Management, GNU and UNIX Commands, Linux Filesystems, Filesystem Hierarchy Standard, Shells, Scripting and Data Management, User Interfaces and Desktops, Administrative Tasks, Essential System Services, Networking Fundamentals and Security NHI Continuing Ed: Two-Dimensional Hydraulic Modeling of Rivers at Highway Encroachments. Learned background data necessary to support a model, hydraulic modeling parameters, mesh development, model simulation parameters, model